Have you heard about one of the most unusual collections in the whole world?

A similar box symbolises another broken heart from the 1980s. The box contained a horse made of glass, crafted by the skilful hands of the great masters of glass from the island of Murano in Venice, often referred to as the city of lovers. It was a present from the owner’s husband, whose vow that “he’ll never stop loving her” faded away after 20 years. Love disappeared into thin air, but the glass horse carrying the memories was kept in a safe place – a box with the wedding ring.

A great love from Sarajevo also ended, leaving hardly anything behind. The only thing left was a licence plate from his first car – a small yellow Volkswagen Polo. Around the time when he bought that car, a great crush evolved into a serious relationship. They enjoyed every day of their love in that small Polo, they used it to travel to the seaside, into the mountains, on fun trips, and when the car landed in a river, their love was gone. The only memory of this love is an old licence plate and a newly broken heart.

Different stories with sad endings in one place

All these broken hearts found their sanctuary in Zagreb, in the old city centre, on the streets of the Upper Town, at the baroque Kulmer Palace. Memorabilia of lost loves, painful breakups, infidelities and divorces is kept there. Belongings, clothes, underwear, footwear, teapots, an axe, jewellery, handcuffs, mobile phones, teddy bears, mirrors, photos, keys, mugs, letters, messages, verses and poems that reminisce of the past are only some of the numerous exhibits on the shelves and walls of this one-of-a-kind museum – the Museum of Broken Relationships. These sad stories will take you on an emotionally-fuelled tour of life’s disappointments.

What is special about this popular Zagreb attraction is the fact that the exhibits are anonymous donations provided by disappointed lovers from all over the world. Each of the hundred permanent exhibition artefacts is unique and one-of-a-kind. Some are bizarre and funny, but all have given the people who donated them a release from the painful past, feelings of hurt or anger after a lost love. Every object has a story to tell, an intimate story that leaves no heart untouched.

Preserved emotional heritage

The artefacts are arranged in eight rooms, depending on their theme. The rooms include themes such as divorces or failed weddings, with exhibits such as donated wedding gowns, rings and photo albums. One of the rooms is dedicated to letters. One particular letter stands out – it tells the story of a thirteen-year-old boy who fell in love with a girl when they were waiting for their convoy to be permitted to pass in war-stricken Sarajevo. There’s a space dedicated to the saddest love stories, those that ended with the death of a loved one. The tour ends in the room with household items that were left behind. This room gives an entirely different air, compared to all the sad and touching stories, featuring funny objects and anecdotes that will put a smile on your face. Perhaps that will be the axe that a hurt girl used to smash her partner’s furniture or an artificial leg from a war story. The collection is extensive and all you have to do is embark on the adventure of exploring this intriguing collection and its stories of unhappy loves. Perhaps you can even relate to some of them.